Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Sep 11: Fulfilling the long-pending demand of fans, the state government has announced the posthumous conferment of the Karnataka Ratna award on legendary actor Sahasa Simha Vishnuvardhan and veteran actress B Sarojadevi.

The decision was taken in the state cabinet meeting held on September 10. The Kannada and Culture Department will later decide the date and venue for the award ceremony. Law and parliamentary affairs minister H K Patil informed that the cabinet has also resolved to write to the Centre urging the Bharat Ratna award for Rashtrakavi Kuvempu.

Recently, veteran actress Bharathi Vishnuvardhan and Anirudh had met chief minister Siddaramaiah to put forth the request. Senior film personalities Jayamala, Shruthi, and Malavika Avinash had also appealed to the chief minister to confer the Karnataka Ratna posthumously on Vishnuvardhan and Sarojadevi.

Vishnuvardhan made his acting debut in 1972 with Vamshavruksha and rose to prominence the same year as a lead actor in Puttanna Kanagal’s Naagarahaavu, which became a blockbuster. He went on to act in around 220 films across Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi. In recognition of his contribution, Bengaluru University conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 2005.

B Sarojadevi was one of the most prominent actresses in Indian cinema, having acted in nearly 200 films across Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Fondly known as Abhinaya Saraswati in Kannada and Kannadathu Paingili (Kannada’s parrot) in Tamil, she was a household name on the silver screen.

She was the recipient of several awards, including the Padma Shri in 1969 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992. On the occasion of India’s 60th Independence Day in 2008, the Government of India honoured her with the Lifetime Achievement Award.